LIVE REVIEW: Gang of Youths @ The Sydney Opera House

Photography by Jess Gleeson

 After over 3 years of wondering when Gang of Youths would make their grand return to a Sydney stage, the wait was finally over. On Saturday, 8th of August, 2,600 fans packed into the iconic Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, eagerly awaiting a night guaranteed to blow us all away. The foyer buzzed with excitement as people flocked towards the merch desk, grabbed a pre-show drink/snack, and took in the amazing view of our harbour. As the crowd began to take their seats, anticipation filled the room. 

The lights then dimmed, and the crowd echoed with cheering and applause as Dave Le’aupepe walked onto the stage. Opening the set with ‘goal of the century’, Dave took a moment to give a heartfelt shout-out to Donnie, who is currently back home in the UK with his family. As he sat at the piano and began to sing, the room fell completely silent, with everyone captivated by his performance. The band then joined him on stage, which of course brought another huge cheer from the audience. Australian singer-songwriter Gretta Ray, a long-time friend and collaborator of the band, also joined them on stage, providing phenomenal backing vocals for the entire show. The chemistry between the entire band was incredible to watch, it genuinely felt like we entered a space of close friends who simply enjoy making music together. 

The rest of the night saw the band launch into a set that effortlessly moved between emotional highs and  infectious grooves. With fan favourites like ‘the angel of 8th ave.’, ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and ‘Magnolia’ woven throughout the set, the crowd was given plenty of opportunities to sing along, echoing every word back to the band, creating an amazing sense of unity. In addition to the classics, Gang of Youths also gave the crowd a taste of what’s to come, performing new songs including ‘Things Take Time’, ‘YeYu’, and ‘Major Arcana’. All three of these tracks had their live debut just two days prior at their Thirroul show, hinting at the beginning of a new era for the band. 

In true Dave fashion, he proved he knows exactly how to work a crowd, entertaining the audience with plenty of humour and stories throughout the night. He certainly knew how to keep us on our toes, not knowing what he might say or do next, which happened when a cart of margaritas was wheeled on stage for the band, and saw Dave raising his glass and inviting the crowd to join in on the cheers. Aside from the comedy, he never shied away from speaking about those he holds close to his heart. To introduce the cover of the night, ‘A Pirate Looks At Forty’ by Jimmy Buffett, Dave took a moment to speak about his wife, who was in attendance and turned 39 two days earlier. He hilariously tells the crowd, “Don’t sing Happy Birthday, she’ll kill me”, before turning to her and saying “You’re looking at 40 and you’re still gorgeous”. He also gave a shout out to his family, who were in the crowd, as well as encapsulating the audience with a beautiful performance of ‘brothers’, which he dedicated to them. 

‘in the wake of your leave’ was the final song they played before the “encore”, and based on the crowd’s reaction, it was the perfect choice for this time of the night. However, before starting the song, Dave made sure to acknowledge his fellow band members, introducing them all individually and saying something special about each of them. He also took the time to mention the encore bit that everyone does, saying “We’re going to leave the stage, and never come back, no matter how much you clap”. While the venue was seated, this was the first time the crowd decided to stand up, dance, and chant every word while clapping along. And as all Gang of Youths’ fans would expect, the chants from this song continued into the encore until the band returned to the stage. 

They closed out the show with the song that everyone and their mother knows, ‘The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows’, and once again the crowd stood to their feet - you simply cannot stay seated during a song like this. Before the song began, Dave thanked the crowd immensely, stating how special this show was, and that if you wanted more “You’ll just have to come and see us again next year, that is if we decide to come back.” yet again hinting at this new Gang of Youths era we seem to be entering. This performance saw Gretta Ray providing more than just backing vocals, creating a truly full circle moment that called back to their tour in 2022, when she joined the band as their support act, and performed this song side by side with Dave. Some fans will also remember Gretta’s Triple J Like a Version performance of this song back in 2021, choosing it because “[...] its a particularly special moment when they play this song [...]. The crowd gets so involved [...]”, and she absolutely hit the nail on the head. The crowd was electric from start to finish, getting even louder as she walked to the front of the stage, making it an unforgettable moment for so many people in the crowd seeing them perform it together. 

After being lucky enough to see this show twice, I can undoubtedly say they are a band everyone must see in their lifetime at least once, if not more. No matter who you are, how old you are, or what your life looks like, I can guarantee you will find yourself connecting to their music and performance.

Welcome home, Gang of Youths!